Odds of Getting In

If you've already gone through the hard-to-get-into-school dance (we hear Brian really, really wants to go with you), you're a layup as long as you order scallops and not long stringy pasta at lunch. You have to show that you have a clue about money and how the world works. You have to show that you care about the job and are ready to work 80 hours a week. Or more. You also have to be…affable. Not…laughable. That is, smart people are a dime a dozen (or $140,000 x 12). For a bank that is willing to pay up, they can have however many smart people they want to hire. There is an almost endless supply for their needs. So just being smart is useless—you have to be someone with whom the rest of the team wants to work and mentor and…laugh. If you’re a complete dork or someone who has the personality of a stick of beef jerky, you won’t do well in such a close, bullpen environment. The first cut at the end of year one, you're toast.